Pardon the Monster
by MuderBurger
Summary: Sam hates how Frodo always pardons Gollum's fits, even when things turn violent.


Night poured over the sky like a smooth stream, bubbling with stars and the occasional trail of a falling meteor. From the mountain side cave, it was a lovely view. The height of the refuge allowed the inhabitants to look at the sky with a whole new light. It was stunning to any waking eye. All eyes however, were resting save for a pair of bulbous blue orbs that glared not at the sky, but at the neck of his sleeping master.

It wasn't the first time Gollum had watched the young hobbit sleep. It wasn't the first time malicious thoughts wormed deeply through his skull. He wondered about the ring, and how easy it would be to rip it from the chain. It would have insanely easy to do, if the hobbit's stupid fat companion didn't spend every waking moment watching the ring bearer as well.

Samwise Gamgee sat in the corner of the cave, his pricing glare centered on the creature that eyed his friend like a piece of raw meat. Every night the same stare down took place until one of them, usually Gollum, backed down and went to sleep. Every night Sam kept watch over Frodo, and every night Gollum challenged his watch.

"What you lookin' at?" the ginger hobbit snapped, breaking the heated silence. Gollum smirked, and tilted his head in Frodo's direction.

"The precious." he grinned. While an honest answer, Gollum only spoke truthfully to agitate his rival; keeping him on edge. The more alert Sam became at night, the less alert he became during the day, making psychological attacks on Frodo easier. Said hobbit stirred in his sleep, causing the two that were awake to refocus their attention.

"Master is tired. The Precious burdens him."

"That don't mean you or me gets to take it from 'im."

Gollum spat mockingly, his eyes drifting back to Sam slyly. "Is fat hobbit going to stop us? Is it _fierce_? Is it _strong_? Is it…_able_?" The last word was purred rather than spoken. It was bait, and Sam knew it.

"I could drag you into a cave and slit your filthy body right open if I 'ad to." Yet he knew that even if he could, Frodo would never allow it. The brunette Halfling had grown disturbingly dependent on the creature that was probably plotting their deaths every step of the way. It drove Sam absolutely mad.

"Oh, but Master won't have that. No, no, no." Gollum coolly waved Sam's bluff away. "Master wants us alive he does. We're more use than the fat one." He gave a croaky chuckle. "We knows more about the bad place than it does. Fat one won't try nothing."

"Don't go testin' me."

Gollum grinned again, trailing his grimy tongue against nine broken teeth. There was a devious look in his eye that Sam didn't like in the slightest. "Oh we _loves_ tests. Like riddles they is. We play marvelous riddles." He swept his arms above his head as if trying to grasp one from mid-air. "Test us. Tell us one. Go on then, fat hobbit."

Sam gritted his teeth in annoyance. "I ain't tellin'any riddles."

"Does it know any? Or is it stupid?" Gollum sat down, a triumphant sneer curling his lips. "No, shut up. We'll tell one. You guess it."

With that, the creature began to scratch at his head as he tried to think of a riddle. Sam tightened his grip on the hilt of his dagger. A sour feeling had begun to boil in the pit of his stomach, leaving him with an awful sense of dread. This was no game, that was clear as anything, but he couldn't quite place what Gollum was up to. His thoughts were broken as Gollum exclaimed "Ah!" Not knowing what else to do, Sam looked over expectantly.

"A spirited jig it dances bright, banishing all but darkest night. Give it food and it will live; give it water and it will die." Gollum shoved his hands under his armpits and leaned forwards, waiting for Sam to answer.

"Fire. Mister Frodo's told me that one. Now I don't want to play, just shove off." Sam found himself shifting closer to his sleeping companion.

"Oh, give us a riddle!"

"No!"

"There's a _prize_." The sly tone had returned, and Sam gaze a sideways glace to his rival, only to find he had vanished. "Fat one wants it. Wants a nice prize for solving our tests. If we solve his, we gets it though. Better think hard fat one, better think hard."

"What prize?"

"Something…._precious_." Instantly Sam knew he was right once more about Gollum. It was all just a trick to get the ring. "He wants it just as much." The echo of the rough voice slid from wall to wall, impossible to place where it was coming from. "He longs for it. He wants it like us. Oh, it is a _marvelous_ thing to want. But is he willing to play for it?"

Sam drew the dagger, squinting into the shadows, searching for at least the shape of the creature. "I won't be playin' any games for that ring." He said firmly. "It ain't my place to have it, and I don't want it anyway."

"Well if he doesn't want it…" the voice changed to something deeper and darker. Sam readied the blade in one hand, the other falling to Frodo's shoulder. "Maybe we should takes it."

Before the ginger hobbit could shout a response, bony fingers slid out of the shadows from above, creeping swiftly across Frodo's pale neck to the chain that held the ring. Quicker than lightning, they groped at the golden circle, trying to yank it free. Gollum hadn't even loosened the chain links before Sam's fist collided with the half bald head. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH 'IM!"

"Sam! What are you _doing_?!" Frodo cried. He struggled to untangle himself from his cloak. "Sam, stop! _Stop_!"

"He tried to take it again, Mister Frodo! He tried to trick me into playin' some riddle game with him to get it!" On the other side of the cave, Gollum wiped the blood from his lips, growling and hissing as the touch of the ring still lingered upon the tips of his fingers. The linger sent tingles up his spine, and made him twitch. The touch, no matter how short it had been, sent his emotions out of control. Hate for the hobbit who kept the ring from him; excitement upon touching it after so long; and longing; a longing to take it. All at once Gollum became deaf to his surroundings. He could no longer hear the loud yelling of the two Halflings or the crunch of the pebbles under his bare feet as he crawled slowly, carefully towards the ring bearer. He heard nothing except three little words, ringing over and over in his skull. _"Get the precious."_

"Why can't you just leave him alone?! Without him we wouldn't have gotten this far!" Frodo scolded as he shoved the ring back under his vest. "Can't you show a little gratitude?!"

"He tried to take the ring! I won't just sit 'ere and let 'im!"

"He's under oath!"

"That don't mean nothing to 'im!"

Gollum crouched behind the slimmer hobbit, his lips curling with fury as the precious was tucked away once more. "Give it." The words were quiet enough to sound tame, but loud enough to catch attention. Frodo turned his head to the creature, those wide blue eyes clouded with confusion, and weariness. Gollum pounced.

Frodo scarely had time to scream before the large hands found his neck once more and the two fell back onto the hard, cold floor. "Mister Frodo!" Sam lunged forward, Gollum by the ears and pulling hard. The once Halfling howled, swinging his fists wildly behind him, knocking Sam back into a rock before returning to his victim.

"_Give it!" _he started to tear at Frodo's vest, repeating the words over and over. Frodo attempted to fight back, hitting, punching, kick, even clawing at his assailant as he called out for Sam, who was only just getting back on his feet. Gollum grabbed hold of his Master's wrist and it back against the ground. Frodo was less of a threat when partially pinned despite the constant flailing. Gollum's fingers started to close around the hobbit's throat and Frodo just barely had time to scream Sam's name before the air was cut off and he could only gasp in fear as the bulbous orbs stared insanely down at him. "Give. It. To. Us." Gollum whispered.

"You get off of 'im!" The hilt of sting crashed into Gollum's shoulder forcing him to release his grip on Frodo's throat. Sam grabbed the few strands of hair left on Gollum's head, pulling him back and pressing the elvish blade to his neck. "You ever touch 'im, let alone come near 'im again, I swear I will drench the earth with your blood, and not even the wraiths will want to ride upon it! Now get _out!" _ He pushed the thing away, one arm already snaking around Frodo's waist as he helped him into an upright position. He pulled his companion against his chest, hugging him as tightly as he could without hurting him.

Gollum scurried to the far side of the cave, bleating false apologies and sobbing against the cold stone. "Are you alright?" Sam demanded. "Did he hurt you? Did he hurt you?!"

"S-Sam, we"-

"Your head's bleedin'. Let me see."

"We still"-

"I'll kill 'im this time. He don't deserve to live. He's too dangerous to keep alive Mister Frodo! You can't keep forgivin' 'im like this! Please, please Mister Frodo, send him away!"

"Sam!" Frodo grabbed his friend's hands away from the fresh cut above his eyebrow, his eyes watering from fear and the new pain that bloomed from the wound. "We…we can't send him away. We can't and you know that." Across from them, Gollum had stopped his pathetic weeping and begun to listen. "We need a guide. There's no way to get into Mordor without him. He knows the way. Please, it's not his fault. It's because of the ring." Frodo tucked it away again. "I'll make him behave it that puts your mind to rest, but we can't go on without him. We can't."

"My mind won't be at rest as long as he's still 'ere. I can't be at ease if he's still eyein' the ring and tryin' to 'urt you just to get to it."

"Please." The tone Frodo was using broke Sam's heart. It was desperate. It was the tone of someone who was weak and tired. "Please, I promise he won't do it again. I promise."

He wanted to argue, but he knew he couldn't. The ring had exhausted Frodo so badly that he truly felt they couldn't reach the Mountain without the fiend that now sat staring at them with false guilt. He pulled Frodo into a protective hug again. "You swear to me you'll make 'im keep 'is distance. He'll not come near you again tonight, but swear to me you'll not let 'im get you."

Frodo nodded against his friend's chest, hands clutching at the familiar ragged waistcoat. It was ages before he managed to sleep again, safe in Sam's arms for the night, but eventually he drifted off, less soundly than before.

Sam glared across the cave, eyes never leaving the grinning monster that stayed crouched a good distance away. He spoke not a word, but his eyes said every threat, every insult, and every curse Frodo had begged him to keep to himself. Sam would never allow Gollum to hurt Frodo like this. Never again.

On the far side of the cave, Gollum gave a raspy chuckled, and turned over to get some sleep himself.

_Old, old, old fanfiction. I can never write Sam and Frodo without making them sound like a married couple. Just wrote it for some friend's. _


End file.
